


What Keeps Us Alive

by mmorgan317



Series: Look Before You Leap Rewrite [2]
Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: Gen, Henry Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2014-11-05
Packaged: 2018-02-21 10:57:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2465744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmorgan317/pseuds/mmorgan317
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Abe is taken to the hospital, Henry learns that there are many different ways to keep a person alive. Sometimes it's a matter of medicine. And sometimes it's a matter of something else entirely. (Not as supernatural as it sounds, I promise.) Henry whump (or h/c) within. Slight Abe h/c too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note:  
> First - please forgive the sucky summary, I am absolutely horrid at them.  
> Second - the time frame for this is probably more like late first season, possibly beginning second. Now, I know that we haven't gotten that far yet but I have hope (foolish though I hope it is not) that we will get there. 
> 
> Also, this is in the same AU/Universe as my previous fic, Look Before You Leap Rewrite. If you haven't read it, don't fret. All that you need to know is that in the second episode, Hanson had actually shot Henry instead of Jo shooting the gunman.  
> Third - I apologize for any bad characterization. I do try my best to keep them all IC but sometimes they slip out of it and become OOC. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Autumn had settled over New York. Its chilly breezes had been blowing for the past two weeks now, bringing with it the newly fallen leaves and the smells one usually acquaints with the season. Henry looked around as the wind blew, glad for his scarf and thick coat which Abe had reminded him to take before he'd left this morning. For the most part, Henry had been making due with his lighter coat and a thinner scarf since he hadn't really thought it all that cold yet. Now, he agreed it was time to move on to warmer attire. 

He turned the corner, eyes still plastered to the sky and the trees above him, rather than on the sidewalk below his feet or the people around him. He knew enough of New York City's inhabitants to know that they'd move out of his way if they were in a big enough hurry. It was why he didn't worry about being in their way as he took in the beauty around him. 

A flash of red caught his attention and Henry finally refocused on the sights in front of him, his heart stopping when he did. 

Parked in front of the antiques store was an ambulance. Its lights were flashing but otherwise it appeared to have been there for a while as there was no one else around. Henry's heart began to beat once more and this time it was frantic. It pumped adrenaline through his veins, encouraging his legs to start moving at a rapidly faster pace before his brain had had a chance to tell them to start running. 

He was halfway down the block when he saw a couple of EMT's pushing a collapsible gurney out of the shop. Much to his dismay, it was not empty and Henry didn't have to try too hard to discover its occupant. There was only one person that was in the store. Abe. Granted the ambulance could have been called for a customer but Henry rather doubted it. 

No longer paying attention to anything but that bed, Henry ran harder. His arms swung, pushing his legs as fast as they could, and though Henry was sure that he'd regret running in his work shoes, at this precise moment, he couldn't bring himself to care. All that mattered was getting to Abe and finding out what had happened. 

His right foot had just touched the street pavement when a horn suddenly blared as loudly as automobile horns can. Almost absently, Henry noted that they tended to do that a lot in this city. Then the pain came and it suddenly registered why this particular vehicle was honking now and, evidently, at him. He was on the ground by the time he realized that he'd been hit by a car; by a taxi, no less. But it didn't matter. Not the pain searing through his side, the stinging in his hand or throbbing through his knee. All that mattered, and all that would continue to matter until it happened, was getting to Abe before the ambulance drove off. 

"Henry!" he heard a familiar voice call and he painfully struggled to get up. He made it just in time to be greeted by a worried-looking Detective Jo Martinez. Her hands reached out as though to grab him but then she seemed to think better of it and she withdrew. "Are you alright?" 

Apparently she'd witnessed his little mishap with the cab. Well, at least the accident hadn't been worse lest his secret be exposed. 

"Yes, I'm fine," he brushed off while doing his best to limp passed her. But she wouldn't move and he let out a disappointed sigh when he saw the ambulance drive off. His heart was still racing but he doubted even that would be enough to help him get to the hospital any time soon. And though Abe had a car, Henry detested driving it; especially around the city. "If you'll excuse me, Detective, I need to get to the hospital and find out what has happened to my..friend." 

The word friend had not been what he'd wanted to say and, indeed, the truth had almost slipped out. Thankfully he'd caught himself before he could have said the wrong thing but it had been a close call. When one's mind is distracted by worry or concern for a loved one, continuing with a lie gets harder. Something Henry knew all too well. 

Jo looked behind her, in time to see the ambulance turning the corner. 

"Why don't I give you a lift?" she offered, turning back to face him. 

Henry looked at her, trying to gauge if she was doing so out of obligation or desire. He found no hint of the former; only sympathy and concern. He found himself annoyed by both emotions simply because he refused to believe that Abe would not be alright. He did his best to hide it, however, and instead he gave a relieved smile and said, "Thank you," grateful not to have to take the Subway. 

Now, she moved out of the way, letting him begin heading towards her car. His first step faltered and he felt slightly into her. She caught him without hesitation and eyed him with concern once again. 

Suspecting that she was about to ask him, once again, if he was alright, Henry said, "Sorry. Lost my balance." 

Jo nodded. Her brows furrowed and then she asked, "Are you sure you're alright?" She paused and just when he was about to answer, she added, "You're limping and your hand is bleeding." 

To stall, Henry got into the car and waited for her to do the same. He probably was not alright, but he was fine enough to put off any first aid until after he'd seen Abe. The problem was that he doubted Jo would agree with his assessment and he was beginning to discover that she was quite stubborn when it came to a friend of hers' health. 

Henry wasn't sure when they'd become friends. He just knew that they had. It wasn't a close friendship yet, but he didn't doubt that they'd get there. Both of them just needed to let their guard down a little - something that wasn't likely to happen while Henry was keeping a secret from her. But still. Perhaps, in time he'd begin to trust her more and, maybe even reveal the truth about himself to her. 

But they were not at that point yet and so Henry kept himself as closed off as he felt was necessary. Just as she did, him. She was still hurting from her husband's death and she was still too afraid to let someone else close lest they should leave her again. If only Henry could assure her that he was not that person. That he had the power to stay even if he'd died. 

The car rocked a little as Jo entered it and closed the door, effectively stopping any wind from further entering the car. Henry played at nonchalance, hoping that she would forget her inquiries and simply drive. When she hesitated in starting the car, he'd thought that she would, in fact, push the topic, but then she blew out an annoyed breath and turned the key in the ignition. They pulled into traffic and then they were on their way to the hospital; to where Abe was. 

oOo

Jo drove through the busy New York street, doing her best not to let her road rage get the better of her. It was hard since she was in a bit of a hurry to get to the hospital but she managed. Barely. It certainly didn't help that her mind was going a million miles a minute while also trying to navigate and pay attention to her passenger - all at the same time. 

When she'd first heard the call she'd been worried that something had happened to Henry. But when she'd gotten there and found out that it was his friend, Abe, her fears had subsided. Not that she didn't like Abe. She did. She just didn't know him quite as well as she did Henry. Meaning that she wasn't around Abe as much as she was his friend. Through their many cases and the random after-work-drink, Jo and Henry had slowly begun to build a bond based on friendship and nothing more. She wasn't sure if there could be more, honestly as neither she nor he were looking for it. If there was, she would cross that bridge when she came to it. 

After exiting the antiques shop, Jo had quickly gotten out of the way so the EMT's could wheel Abe into their ambulance. She'd agreed, per Abe's request, to stay behind and wait for Henry and, if need be, give him a ride to the hospital. It was a little endearing, actually, how worried Abe had been about his friend when he was the one that was having the medical issue. Of course, shortly after extracting that promise, he'd laid back and had struggled to breathe. It had scared her but the EMT's had assured her that all was as well as it could be. 

It was then that she heard the squeal of the tires and she looked in the direction of the noise. Needless to say her heart had stopped for a second when she recognized the figure landing on the asphalt. She'd begun running even before she'd called his name, worried that he was really hurt. She'd watched as he'd struggled to stand, the action looking awkward and painful for him but when she'd asked if he was okay, he'd merely brushed aside her concern and given her the type of answer one would give a stranger.

And now here they were, on their way to inquire after his friend. Jo also had a secret plan to get him seen by a doctor while he was there, but she wasn't absolutely certain she could pull that off yet. Henry Morgan could be stubborn when he wanted to be, and right now she knew that his main priority was Abe, not himself. 

"I meant to ask you, Detective, why were you at the shop?" 

His voice was somewhat soft, sort of lacking its usual strength, and full of curiosity. When she peered over at him, she noticed that he was sitting a little stiffly, but his attention was solely on her, his brown eyes full of worry and even possibly fear. 

"I was on my way home from the precinct when I heard the call come over the radio," she answered as though listening to dispatch calls for ambulances was a normal thing for her. It wasn't. Today (or was it tonight since it had been after five?) was just a freak accident. "I was curious so I went to check it out." 

She chanced a brief glance over at him and saw that he was smiling. She lifted an eyebrow, silently asking what he was smiling about. 

"You were worried about me," he teased, his voice becoming thicker with humor. 

Jo scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and?" she challenged. 

He feigned apologetic innocence and shifted in his seat, wincing as he did so. "It's nothing," he defended, still smirking a little bit. "I just wasn't expecting it."

"Why not?" she asked, silently wondering what kind of life this man had led to where he didn't expect people to care about him. 

This time it was his turn to feign indifference. He shrugged and looked straight ahead. "No reason," he brushed off. Jo opened her mouth to say something more but he interrupted her with, "Oh look, we're here." 

Her eyes narrowed at him. Now she was determined to find out what he was hiding. She'd known from the beginning that Henry wasn't all he'd presented to others but she'd been content to let him have his secrets as long as they didn't interfere with him doing his job. She'd found it strange that he had asked to be shot in the shoulder when he'd been taken hostage during the bridge jumper case. She'd left him alone about it because it hadn't really seemed to matter at the time. But she had gone back to watch the video and she hadn't missed the way he'd eyed the camera. It was almost as though he was afraid it would record something that he didn't want seen and she was curious to know what it was. 

She found a spot as close to the doors to the ER as she could and parked. Since she was unbuckled and out of the car before Henry, she went to the front of the car to wait for him, watching as he almost gingerly exited and then limped towards the entrance of the hospital's emergency room. 

In relative terms, the ER was not very busy. There were the few odds and ends of people who thought their light maladies were worth a trip to the hospital. And there were a couple people who really should be there. But otherwise the waiting room was fairly empty. 

"Go sit down while I go check on Abe," she said, making it sound more like a command than anything else. 

He raised a challenging eyebrow at her. "Detective, I do know my way around a hospital. Surely, I can find Abe much easier than you."

"Be that as it may," she answered, not arguing his point since she knew he was right. "You're hurt and you shouldn't be traipsing all over the hospital looking. Now go sit down and I'll let you know what I find out." 

Henry gave her a look that she knew was meant as a silent lecture but he did as he was told and left her to find out about Abe's status alone. She waited until he was firmly put in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs before she went over to reception and flashed her badge. 

"I'm Detective Martinez and I'm here to inquire after a man who was just brought in." 

The nurse behind the plexi-glass looked up at her, her eyes showing that she didn't care at all why Jo was there or what she wanted. She sighed and grabbed a list just off to her left. "Name?" 

"Abraham, um, Morgan," she said, hoping that she was right. She didn't actually know Abe's last name so she'd given him Henry's but she doubted that was it. She was just about to go and ask Henry was Abe's last name was when the nurse let the sheets on her clipboard fall flat. 

"He's being settled into a room in the cardiac unit. You need to go out and enter through the main portion of the hospital. Take the third elevator and go to the fifth floor. He's in room 503." 

Surprised that she'd gotten it right, Jo nodded and offered a smile. Neither were returned. Not that she particularly cared if they had been; she was just being polite after all. She went back over to where Henry was sitting, blankly watching the evening news which never reported anything good. He looked up at her when she stood beside him and slowly began to stand. 

"He's being settled into a room," she said after seeing his expectant expression. "I know what room but why don't we get you checked out and then we'll go see Abe?" she suggested, figuring now was her chance to try. 

This time he crossed his arms over his chest, barely stifling another wince, and glared at her a little. "I told you, Jo, I'm fine." 

Ah, so now he was using her given name. He only did that when something was important. Clearly getting up to see his friend was more important to him than his own health. Well, sorry but Jo wasn't having it. 

"No, you're not, Henry," she countered, mirroring his stance. "You're standing off balance because you're trying to keep weight off your right leg, you've been moving stiffly since we got into the car and your hand has got to be burning with all that debris in the cuts." 

He looked down at the hand in question. It was scraped raw on the palm, moving down to the bottom, and it was red with ragged lines cut into the skin. He grimaced after seeing it and carefully tucked it back under his arm (which was still crossed with the other in defiance), returning his gaze back to her. 

"You do know that I could simply go over there and get his room number myself, don't you?" he pointed out, sounding as though asking her what she would do if he tried. 

"Yeah, but I'm also pretty sure that I could just as easily force you to sit back down and wait to be seen," she returned, prepared to do just that if he didn't yield and continued being stubborn.

The pair remained in a stand off of sorts. Each one refusing to back down because they believed they were in the right. Jo could see the effort it was taking for Henry to remain upright and she just wished he'd stop being so obstinate and give in already. But then, she supposed she could understand why he wasn't. If their positions had been reversed and her husband had been the one in the hospital, nothing would have stopped her from getting to his side. Although she didn't think Henry loved Abe quite as much as she'd loved her husband, she didn't doubt that he did love him and that was what was driving him. Love and worry. 

Jo sighed and Henry smiled, knowing he'd won. Jo made a face at him. "Don't gloat." 

She heard him chuckle behind her as she started to walk out of the ER and head up to the main portion of the hospital. Jo made sure to keep her stride relatively slow so that Henry could keep up since he was definitely walking slower than he normally did. Since she definitely reached the door before him, she stopped and waited, a smirk playing on her features. 

"So you're fine, huh?" she quipped, watching as he carefully made his way to the doors. 

His answering glare was enough to help her attempt to wipe the smirk off her face. It didn't fully work but at least she'd tried. 

"In the words of a wise woman, do not gloat," he answered, striding into the hospital before her and looking as though he were trying to hide any signs of something being wrong. He waited for her to join him before he asked, "Now then. Where are we going?" 

oOo

 

Henry limped his way to Abe's room, determined not to let his injuries slow him down. In the grand scheme of things they were mere trifles, anyways, so he didn't see the point in paying them more attention than was necessary. Sure, his leg was making it difficult to get around as easily as he normally would be and his side was making each breath a lesson in pain, but since all Henry was truly concerned about right now was Abe, he ignored them both. 

He made it to the room ahead of Jo and he turned around to give her an uncomfortable look, hoping that she would get that he wanted to be alone with Abe for a bit first. She smiled, assuring him that she understood and pointedly went to the waiting room (which was within eyesight of Abe's room) and got comfortable. Within seconds her phone was in her hands and she was typing away on it; though whom she found to talk to, Henry had no idea. 

The room was fairly darkened and growing ever still darker as the sun continued to set. The artificial lights in the room had been placed on a low setting to allow the patient to sleep easier but they were still bright enough to allow Henry to see where he was going. When he'd made it to the chair nearest the bed, just to Abe's left, he quietly sat down and tried to slow his heart. It was beating frantically at the sight of his son in the hospital bed; almost so hard that it hurt. 

Abe lay, slack-jawed, with a cannula under his nose to supply him with fresh, pure oxygen, a heart monitor attached to his right pointer finger, and an IV taped to the back of his hand. The hospital-supplied gown did little to make him look healthier; in fact it actually made him look sicker as it showed precisely how white Abe looked at the moment. His breathing was deep, even, but sounded a bit strained and Henry wanted nothing more than to fix it. But he wasn't a practicing physician anymore (although he was perfectly up to date on all the latest techniques and such) and he didn't want to intrude on what the doctors were already doing for Abe. 

After taking a moment to catch his own breath, Henry reached out and gently gathered Abe's older, more frail-looking hand into his own and held onto it as though holding onto the limb would help him hold on to Abe that much longer. 

His heart suddenly broke and the dam that had been holding back tears suddenly released. It felt like, here, in this room, alone, Henry had finally let go of his barriers and everything was starting to crack through. He didn't sob, however. Merely allowed his tears to trail down his face as he held onto his son's hand. 

A part of him felt like he should have been there for Abe. As though, if he had been there, he would have been able to stop whatever had happened. Judging by all the symptoms he was seeing, Henry would guess a heart attack. Since he was normally pretty good at diagnoses, he went with that, not wanting to let go of Abe simply to look at his chart. 

Now more than ever, Henry wished he could find a way to pass on his curse. Yes, he viewed it as a curse but if it could help Abe live then he would most certainly give it to him; even if it meant that he, himself, had to die. 

Henry couldn't imagine living in a world without Abe. He wouldn't do, as a matter of fact. Up until now, the idea had been such a preposterous idea that he hadn't even bothered to contemplate it. Now, however, faced with the unimpeachable proof that Abe will die (although hopefully not soon), Henry was being forced to imagine a future he didn't want to behold. 

All through these long years, Abe had been his one constant companion. Granted, at first he hadn't been much for company as he'd needed more than he'd given but as he'd grown older, Henry had begun to depend more and more on his son. He'd tried to hide the truth from Abe as long as he'd could. But then one day, he'd contracted a rather virulent and violent form of pneumonia and his body just hadn't been able to fight it off. It was then that he'd told Abe what to expect and what would happen. Thankfully Abigail had been there and she had helped ease Abe through Henry's death and then reawakening. She'd seen it happen only once before (during wartime) but she knew what to do, at least. From then on, Abe had begun to look at Henry in a different light. He was still his father, but he was also Superman and that, Henry believed, actually helped Abe to sleep better at night because he knew that Henry would always be there for him. 

That feeling of never being abandoned was shattered, for both Abe and Henry, when one morning, they both woke up to find Abigail gone. To this day they still don't know what happened but while Abe had remained devastated for a long while, Henry had grown to believe that it was because of him, of his "condition" that she'd left and he'd found that he couldn't blame her. He still grieved for her, of course, but he didn't hold a grudge against her at all. 

In the bed, Abe stirred, bringing Henry back to the present with nauseating quickness. Henry quickly used his unoccupied hand to dry his eyes as he didn't want Abe to believe that anything was the matter with him. That would only make Abe worry over nothing and right now all Abe needed to do was rest and get better. 

"I see you got here," his son said by way of a greeting. He made to lift his left hand, noticed that Henry was still holding on to it and then let it fall back down to the bed. He did fidget a little, as though he were trying to get comfortable. 

Henry gingerly stood, his injuries making their presence known for a brief moment, and went to go help Abe get into a better position. 

"Yes, I did," he said, smiling down at his son. He put on his best "father face" and added, "Thank you for your concern but I am perfectly capable of getting to the hospital without the help of the police." 

With his hand free, Abe used it to wave off Henry's lecture. "Sure you could," he retorted, his eyes closing for a brief moment before opening them again. The sorrow in them was almost too much for Henry to stand. It didn't take a giant leap of the imagination to figure out what had Abe looking so sad and it was something that Henry wasn't willing to go into at the moment. He couldn't lie and say that he'd be fine when Abe died, but he also didn't want his son to worry about him either. So he changed the subject, hoping that it would help ease the sick man's mind a bit. 

"Abraham," he gently said, sitting himself down on the bed near Abe's hip. "What happened?" 

"I didn't take anything. I promise," his son said, making Henry smiled as he remembered the near-heart attack he'd had when he'd seen Abe's name on the Aterna client list. Abe smiled as well, having seen that his small joke had come through. Then his face sobered. He looked so tired that Henry wanted to tell him to never mind and they'd talk about it later after Abe had had more rest. But his son beat him to the punch. 

"I don't know what happened, Henry," he said. The look in his eyes became distant and Henry could see that he was searching his memory for some sort of clue. "The last thing I remember was helping a client pick out a lovely china set and the next thing I remember is the EMT's hauling me out of the shop. I don't even know what happened to the customer." 

"Let's not worry about that now," Henry bid, now standing up and stroking some hair off Abe's forehead. "Right now, just sleep. I'm sure we'll figure out the details soon enough." He smirked a little and added, "We always do." 

"That's true, I do," Abe joked, offering a small smile in return. Henry began to sit down and it was then that he noticed a frown overtake his son's face. 

"What?" he asked, concerned that something was wrong. He leaned forward, reaching out as though to do whatever it was that Abe needed. 

"Are you injured?" 

Henry couldn't help it. He laughed. By whatever deity exists, it hurt, but it had burst out of him before he'd known it was going to happen. 

"You're the one in the hospital bed and you're worried about me?" he asked, the laugh having thickened his voice slightly and kept a smile on his face longer than it normally would have done in this situation. 

"I'm fine," Abe objected. He amended it quickly after a look from Henry. "Or I will be. But you. You've been moving stiffly ever since I woke up. And don't think you've hidden those small grimaces and winces from me because you haven't. Now I'll ask again, are you injured?"

"I'm alright Abraham," Henry lied. He offered as true a smile as he could, even managing to relax back into the uncomfortable chair a bit as he did so. 

"Yeah, sure you are," Abe retorted. 

It was obvious he wanted to say more but it seemed that his cache of energy had just run out and he wasn't able to draw on any reserves. His eyes closed and though Henry saw him struggle to open them again, he failed miserably and they stayed shut. Soon enough, his breathing evened out to the tune of a man asleep and Henry was left alone with his mind once again. 

TBC


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: While I obviously don't know the laws for being a coroner and practicing medicine at the same time, I'm assuming it's frowned upon. If it's not and I'm wrong, sorry! (Trust me, you'll understand that note further in this chapter)
> 
> Also, while pneumonia may not seem life threatening, trust me when I say that it is. My father died from it and there was a kid in my son’s school who lost his uncle to it this past week. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Two days later found Henry still sitting by Abe's bedside. Well, it would be more accurate to say that he was still in Abe's room. He'd moved from the small cramped area by the bed to a more spacious spot in the corner. The chair there was far more comfortable than the standard chair that resided closer to the bed. However, he did still have on the same clothes and he still stared at his son as though he alone could keep the man breathing. Indeed the only other discernable difference was that he now also wore a bandage wrapped around his right hand and a long brace that was cupped around his right knee. There was also a bit of a bandage supporting his side but that was far less easy to spot. 

Jo had waited until the next morning to cajole (via threats of physical harm) Henry into getting himself looked at by a doctor. At first Henry had resisted but by that point his injuries were truly starting to pain him and so, with great reluctance, he'd given in. He'd whispered to an asleep Abe that he would be back and left, making sure to extract a promise from the on-call nurse that should anything change, she would give him a call on Jo's cellular phone. 

By the time he'd limped back into the room, Abe was not only awake but appeared to be feeling better. He'd offered a smile upon his entrance at first, but it soon turned into a frown. His son had waited until Henry had sat down before he'd demanded to know what had happened. Fearing that the monitors (which showed Abe's slowly climbing heart rate) would soon bring in the rather stern-looking nurse he'd seen outside the rooms, making her rounds, Henry had, hesitantly, told Abe about his run-in with the taxi cab. 

Abe had been furious and had insisted that Henry should have gotten his own injuries taken care of before checking up on him. The idea that Henry had spent all this time in pain simply to keep an eye on him had upset him far more than Henry had thought it would. Then again, if the situations had been reversed, he would have felt the same way. Henry had done what he'd could to calm his son down, even going so far as to promise that he would take care of himself from now on. At least, as far as the rest of Abe's stay in hospital was concerned. 

Now he sat here, comfortable, but still concerned. Henry didn't think he would ever not be concerned where Abe was involved. He was Abe's father, after all. It was his parental right to worry over his child. Especially when said child was sick or injured.

The monitor beeped and Henry slowly stood up to check and see what was wrong. Pain flared in his knee, which, as it had turned out, had been sprained pretty badly, and Henry almost fell. He caught himself on the arms of the chair before he could fall, however, and, wincing as he did so, slowly went to the right side of the bed where the monitors were. 

His brow furrowed as he read them, not liking what he was seeing. He pivoted gently and laid his hand on Abe's forehead. It was hot, meaning that he had actually spiked a fever. But how? He hadn't been anywhere but this room for almost three days and no one that had come in had been sick either. Yet, in spite of the heat coming off Abe, Henry could easily tell that he was shivering. His breathing, which had been easing, was now strained, even with the tube of fresh oxygen. 

In the bed, Abe shifted and groaned, clearly uncomfortable. Henry grabbed an extra blanket and added it to the ones which were already covering his son. Thankfully hospital protocol hadn't changed enough since he was last in one and so it had been pretty easy to find. Not painless, but easy. Abe gave another shiver and snuggled as much as he could under the extra layer. With every inhale, Henry could hear the slight wheeze and his brows furrowed. That was not good. 

After making sure that Abe was as settled as he could be in his present predicament, Henry went back to his chair to think over the changes he'd seen come over Abe within the past thirty-six hours or so. He did his best to swallow the groan that wanted to escape but a small bit of it had gotten through. Luckily, Abe was still sleeping and Jo wasn't present to hear it. 

Perhaps, he considered, he had been a fool not to accept any form of pain relief. But the plain truth was that he would never be easy with leaving Abe for too long whilst he was still in hospital. So he'd declined the offer and had gotten back to his son as quickly as he'd been able to. Now, however, he was reevaluating his decision and was tempted to ask the nurse for some aspirin the next time she came to check on Abe. 

RING. RING. RING.

Henry startled from the silence being broken so abruptly by the hospital phone ringing. Giving a glare at the contraption and a slight growl, he stood back up and painfully walked back to the other side of the bed to answer it. 

"Hello." 

"Hello Henry." 

Henry froze, easily recognizing that voice. After making sure that Abe was still asleep, he turned around, hoping to exude nonchalance when he actually felt like a tightly coiled spring. 

"Adam," he greeted, using the name the mystery caller had given him. 

"Sorry to make you get up again. It looked just as painful the second time as it did the first."

So this man was literally watching him right now, was he? Fine. Henry moved more in front of the window, making sure to fill it should this maniac get any ideas. 

"What can I do for you?" he asked, hoping he sounded merely polite as he wanted to keep his fear and anger in check.

"I just wanted to call and check up on Abe. It must have given you quite a shock to learn that he'd had a heart attack." 

Henry bit his tongue to keep himself from snapping a useless threat. Although he would do anything to protect Abe, he knew that there was literally nothing that he could do against a person he'd never seen or met before. During his many hours of solitude the past couple days, Henry had even contemplated leaving him. Almost immediately after the thought had occurred, Henry had dismissed it, knowing that it would only make Abe vulnerable. Something about this stranger told the immortal that he wouldn't hesitate in using Abe to bring Henry back. No, he couldn't leave. And Henry hated himself for it all. 

"Calm down, I had nothing to do with that," the caller assured, apparently having seen the tension on Henry's face. "I did, however, have something to do with Abe's current situation. Rest assured, it's nothing too life threatening. Just a little something to keep him down for a while."

"Why?" was all Henry could think to ask. "Abe has never done anything to you." 

"But he was getting closer and that I cannot have." There was a silent threat buried in that voice somewhere, Henry was sure of it. But again, what could he do about it? He was, essentially, powerless until he discovered this man's identity. "I know that you're anxious to know who I am, Henry, and eventually we will meet. But let me promise you this. If you have your son, or anyone else, look into me, there will be consequences. And while you may not like the outcome, we both know that you will have to live with them." 

The line went dead before Henry could say anything else and in spite of all of Henry's years and training, he wanted nothing more than to throw the stupid telephone at the wall. This man was toying with him. But that wasn't the worst of it. No, the worst of it was that, as Henry had surmised, he was using the people in Henry's life to do it! For God's sake, the man did God only knows what to Abe for simply helping him! 

Then it hit him. The fever. Abe's newfound fever. That was Adam's doing. 

Henry spun around, nearly collapsing onto the end of the bed when his knee sent a spike of agony through his leg and damn near gave out on him. He took a moment to simply breathe. To let the pain subside and to get his heart rate back down. He couldn't look at Abe's symptoms in a panic. If he did, he could very well make a hasty and wrong diagnosis and that would certainly not benefit Abe. 

"Henry?" Jo's voice called through the door. She entered with brows furrowed and concern on her face. "Are you alright? I thought I heard you cry out or something." 

Henry gingerly stood, staring down at his son and him alone. By his sides, his hands fidgeted, aching to get to work. Violence wasn't Henry's way. He was a doctor after all. But beneath the urge to fix what was broken, he also had the desire to hurt the man who had hurt someone he loved. Henry did his best to quell the urge since he knew that it wouldn't help him in the least right now. He'd actually spent quite a few years in the early 1850s being angry and it hadn't done him any bit of good. The same was true for now. 

Since he figured that Jo wouldn't object too much, he began to examine his son from a medical standpoint. He was limping very heavily but he began to catalogue all of Abe's symptoms, no longer paying attention to his partner by the door. He'd had to resort to some practices that hadn't been used since the use of their more modern counterparts had been invented but as Henry didn't have those tools, he also didn't have that option. Using his hands to support him and ignoring the stinging in his hand and the fire in his side, Henry bent down to listen to Abe's lungs and heart. 

"Henry?" he heard Jo call again. He absently noted the concerned tone in her voice as well as the slight bit of scandalization. No doubt she didn't understand why he was examining Abe and not the doctor. Overall, however, Henry wasn't truly paying attention. Her voice came to him distantly, as though he were blocking as much of it out of his mind as possible and solely focusing on what he was currently doing. 

Fever. Ragged, wet breathing. Chills. Higher heart rate. These were symptoms to many things. But going along with what Adam had said, he could rule several out as many weren't very life threatening. There were a few, however, that were. He quickly went through each one in his mind, checking what he knew of them against what he could tell of Abe's condition and crossing them out when they didn't coincide. When he finally reached the bottom one, Henry relaxed a little. Pneumonia. It wasn't necessarily life threatening but if you gave it to the right person, let it linger, it could prove disastrous. Unfortunately, Abe was one of those people. Unbeknownst to many, Abe had asthma. It wasn't usually a problem but to have a breathing condition such as that with a sickness like pneumonia? Well, let's just say that things could go very wrong if they weren't handled properly. 

A hand clasped onto his shoulder and Henry jumped. Having still been listening to Abe's chest, he quickly stood upright and spun around, coming face to face with Jo as he did so. The fast action hadn't done his injuries any favors and he grimaced before he could stop it. Across from him, Jo winced, looking apologetic but demanding. Without actually thinking what he was doing, Henry grabbed Abe's chart and began to make notations in it.

"What's wrong?" she asked, evidently guessing that he wasn't examining Abe for no reason. Of course, it could also be that Henry had been ignoring her and since he'd had yet to do that before, she believed something to be wrong with him. Ultimately, her reasons for asking didn't matter. He was just grateful that she hadn't bombarded him with a bunch of unimportant questions. She'd asked the correct one. 

"I need to call the doctor," was all he said, not necessarily meaning to answer her question but simply stating his current thought. 

Jo looked at him confusedly for a moment. Then, possibly after seeing something in his expression, she sighed. 

"Why don't you let me do that? You go sit down," she suggested. "You've been limping around here so heavily that I thought you were going to eventually fall over."

The comment was lightheartedly said but that made it no less true. Henry could tell that she believed it and he didn't doubt that, had he continued, she would have been proved right. Remembering his promise to Abe, he reluctantly eased himself down into the closest chair and allowed her to push the call button for the nurse. 

It took no more than a minute for the on-call nurse to arrive. She took one look at Henry and her brows furrowed. They rose in surprise when Jo asked to speak with the doctor but she smiled, looking a bit nervous, and left to page her. 

Once she'd left, Jo sighed, crossed her arms, and turned to face Henry. Her brows furrowed as she studied him but she didn't say anything. Henry, being mildly aware that he could nothing more for Abe at the moment, looked at her and upon seeing the expression on her face, cocked his head slightly to the side in a silent question. Without saying a word, Jo went to the other side of the bed, removed the uncomfortable chair and replaced it with the softer one. 

"Why don't you sit over there?" she said with a nod towards the newly-moved chair. "It'll be more comfortable for you and this way you won't be in the way of the doctors when they come in." 

Her logic was sound so Henry didn't argue. But he also didn't do as he was told right away, either. Honestly, Henry wasn't sure that he could have. The two worse of the injuries were currently vying for the prize of most painful and the amount of it was slowly beginning to overwhelm his brain's command to move. 

"Henry?" Jo called. When he looked up at her, she asked, "You okay?" 

"Yes, sorry," he apologized, forcing his body to move. Much to his delight he didn't immediately fall on his face. But the going was slow and he eventually began to lean on the bed in order to get to the other side of it. He sat down with a sigh, his eyes closing as he did so. 

"Better?" she asked with a hint of laughter in her voice. 

"Mm," was all he could answer. The chair, a faded olive green, wasn't what one would normally consider cushioning. But compared to the standard hospital chairs, it might as well have been a mattress. 

A knock on the door halted all further conversation between the two friends. They both looked towards the doorway and watched as Abe's doctor filed in. Although she doubtlessly had many patients, she didn't look at all bothered to have been called in to check on Abe. She smiled warmly at both Jo and Henry as she entered. She didn't give them a chance to speak before she went over to the man in the bed to check on him, peering at the monitors and chart before stepping back. 

"I was told you wanted to speak with me, Henry," she prompted.

"Wait, do you know him?" Jo asked, pointing a finger at Henry. Apparently the use of his given name had tipped her to it. 

"Yes," doctor Vogel answered without reserve. She took a quick look at Henry, gave him a smile which lit her honey-brown eyes and then looked back at Jo. "I was the one assigned to oversee Henry's care when he had been shot."

"And now you're assigned to Abe. You must really like this family," Jo joked with a wry laugh. 

Henry gave a smile, his heart warming to hear him and Abe described by someone who doesn't know their situation as a family. 

He watched as Sarah laughed, blushing a little. "Well, while I do like these two, this was just by chance. When Henry had been brought in, I was on a surgery rotation. Now I'm working in cardiac. In another few months, who knows." She turned to Henry, her brows furrowing a little as she asked, "Now, did you call me in here to talk about you or Abe?"

"Abe," he answered without hesitation. Given enough time he may very well have called her in for some pain relief, but as it was, Abe needed her more than he did.

"I'm assuming it has something to do with the fever he's recently developed," she guessed, looking down at the chart as she did so. Her voice, which had been strong was now quiet. Henry found it quite pleasing to listen to, no matter what volume or strength it was at, and that bothered him. 

"Also chills and trouble breathing," she continued to quickly read, her brows furrowing. "Henry, did you write in this?" 

"I may have added some notes," he admitted sheepishly, much in the same way he had admitted to Jo about knowing a bit about women's shoes during Gloria Carlisle's case.

"Wait, you what?" Jo asked, surprised. He didn't know why. Had she not watched him do it?

"You know you can't do that," Sarah scolded, now looking angry and ignoring Jo's input. "These are official hospital records. You can't just write on them whenever you feel like it." 

"Oh come on, Sarah," Henry retorted as he gingerly got out of the chair. In his peripheral he saw Jo make a slight move as though to help him. But whether it was because the bed was blocking her way or because the doctor was, she didn't do it. "It's not like I was writing on them for my benefit." 

"Regardless, you are an ME, not a practicing physician," Sarah snapped back. Unlike others, she didn't make being an ME sound like a demotion, but she did make sure to note that there was a difference. His status as a coroner meant he was no longer allowed to practice medicine on a live person; especially not while on hospital grounds. 

"You need to do a chest x-ray," he insisted as he stepped closer, shaking his head and dismissing her anger at him. Right now it wasn't relevant. 

Sarah looked ready to argue when Abe fidgeted in the bed and his answering groan followed by a cough cut her off. Both she and Henry looked over at the sick man with twin looks of concern on their faces. 

"What is it? What's wrong?" Jo asked, looking between the two doctors and Abe in confusion. 

"I'm sure it's nothing," Sarah soothed. She put Abe's chart back on his bed and then listened to his chest with her stethoscope. "I don't like the sound of his lungs, though," she added with a frown. When Henry opened his mouth to give her his diagnosis, she held up her hand to forestall him. "I'm sure you already have the cause and treatment planned out but this is a hospital and we do tests to confirm diagnoses before we begin handing out medicines and treatments." 

"Fair enough," he conceded, relenting to her position as Abe's doctor. He gingerly sat back down in the chair and waited for her to do what he knew she was about to do. 

"What are you doing?" Jo asked as she attempted to peer over Sarah's shoulder. Since she was considerably taller than the doctor, it wasn't that hard. But when her brows furrowed, Henry supposed she must not have understood what it was that Sarah had written. 

"I'm ordering a chest x-ray and prescribing some Tylenol to work in his fever and the aches he obviously feels." She looked up after having finished and she frowned. "Should I have Marcie bring you something too, Henry?" 

"No, thank you," he rejected, offering her as bright a smile as he could manage. "I'll be alright for now." 

Sarah looked as though she didn't believe him but she didn't argue with him either. She replaced the chart once again and then headed for the door. 

"Well," she said as she opened it. "Let me know if you need anything else. I'll be back once I have the results from the x-ray." She left right after that, leaving Jo and Henry alone with nothing but the sounds of machines and Abe's breathing to listen to. 

oOo

He was so hot! Hot and cold, all at the same time. Abe was vaguely aware that he was possibly ill but at the moment he didn't have enough presence of mind to fully comprehend that. All that he really knew was that he ached, he was uncomfortable and he wanted his father. 

A hand placed itself on his forehead and Abe turned towards it, sighing as he felt the heat briefly leave his head. The cool calmed the headache he knew pounded through his temples and he inhaled deeply. Or he tried to. The minute he did, his lungs rejected the air and Abe coughed violently. The action seemed to tear his throat into shreds and Abe whimpered a little from the added pain of it. The elephant sitting on his chest wasn’t helping either. 

"Shh, it's alright," a familiar, accented, voice soothed. The hand moved from his forehead and began to brush back his hair, making sure to start from the same point each time. 

Henry was here. That alone made Abe feel better. No matter how old Abe would continue to be, he would always want his dad when he was sick or hurting. Sure, he'd never say it out loud but then he never really had to. Henry always seemed to know when he was needed and he was always there without Abe having to do or say anything at all. 

Another hand curled around his and Abe clung to it, using it to ground him as he tried to bring himself out of his fevered haze. The hand gave his a gentle squeeze which was then followed up with a kiss on the forehead. 

"Just go back to sleep, Abe," Dad bid, his voice gentle and soft. "I'm here." 

Abe smiled. At least, he hoped he did. He didn't have the energy to say anything, though he wanted to, but he hoped that his father could tell how glad he was to know that he was there. 

oOo

Jo entered the hospital room, a fresh cup of coffee in her hands, and stopped dead. At the bed stood Henry. He had one hand on the mattress, probably to keep himself upright, and one hand holding onto Abe's. He was slowly pulling away from Abe, almost as though he had been giving the older man a kiss on the forehead. But what had her hesitating was the expression on her partner's face. It was so..fatherly. It felt wrong thinking that since Abe was old enough to Henry's father, but that was the only word she could think of to explain it. He looked down at Abe with such love that Jo's heart ached a little at seeing it and knowing that she would never again see that directed at her. 

She cleared her throat as she entered, feeling like she'd just barged in on a private moment. Henry barely seemed to hear her. He continued to stare down at his friend for another moment or two and then he gingerly sat down in the chair that Jo had placed beside the bed for him earlier. He sighed as the chair absorbed his weight and then laid his hands in his lap. 

"Hello Jo," he said, sounding tired. 

Jo wasn't sure how long Abe had been in the hospital but she was sure that it was now going on three and a half days. In that time she wasn't sure how much Henry had slept but she doubted that it was much. Dark circles under his eyes hinted that it may have been longer than she had thought since he'd last slept but since she couldn't prove it, she wasn't going to bring it up.

That didn't stop her from being concerned, though. 

"How's he doing?" she asked as she went over to the other side of the bed and sat down in the hard chair. In the time that she'd been gone they had taken Henry for whatever tests Doctor Vogel had ordered. It was the main reason she'd left, actually. With Abe busy, she figured that Henry could use a bit of time to decompress. He'd seemed more strung out than usual and she figure the time alone would do him some good. 

As she sat down, Henry sighed, his eyes re-fixing on the man in the bed. This time his gaze wasn't as loving. It was more...mourning. Jo found it odd that he was starting to accept his friend as dead. After all, Abe had been healing well after his attack and with him being in the hospital, his pneumonia wasn't that terrible a situation either. 

As ever, Henry remained a contradiction that Jo just couldn't quite figure out. 

"Sarah has confirmed pneumonia," he answered. A brief smile quirked the corner of his mouth which Jo took to be him gloating ever so slightly about being right. He looked up, his brown eyes traveling over the form of his friend and landing on the monitors and IV pole. "They've started him on antibiotics and regular breathing treatments." 

Jo's brows furrowed. "Are those treatments necessary?" she asked, confused and a bit concerned in one. 

"For someone with asthma to have pneumonia, yes," he answered and Jo could tell just from his tone that he was going to lecture a bit, so she got comfortable and listened. "Pneumonia on its own is a relatively harmless illness. It affects people in different ways, of course, most of the time depending on how healthy they were when they got sick to begin with. The more frail the constitution, the worse it can possibly get. Abe is not only still trying to recover from a heart attack but he has asthma - something which makes a disease that attacks the lungs, such as pneumonia, a very deadly illness."

Well, at least she partially understood why Henry looked so sad and grim whenever he looked down at Abe. Still, there was something more going on here. If only she could get him to open up to her more. What little she had been able to glean had felt like pulling teeth; probably for him as well. 

They sat in silence a moment longer, Henry watching Abe and Jo watching Henry. She tried to keep quiet but eventually she found that she couldn't. 

"You should go home and get some rest," she suggested while trying to sound off-handed. Since she knew that he was going to fight her, she prepared to stand her ground. She would physically haul him out of the hospital and back to the antiques store if she had to. No matter how much pain it would cause him. 

"I'm alright," he denied with a weary smile. 

Jo rolled her eyes since she knew that he was trying to assure her. Since it was a total lie, it completely failed and she wondered if he knew that. She doubted it. At times he could be cocky. Not that he didn't have a right to be, mind you, since he was usually right. But still. 

"If it'll make you feel better," he added before she could give him a sharp retort. "I'll take a nap here." His jaw tightened as his teeth clenched and the look he fixed on her told her that he absolutely would not give in one iota. "But I'll not leave the hospital." 

"I'll not leave Abe." Though he hadn't said it outright, he might as well have since Jo heard it loud and clear. 

Jo sighed and leaned back in her chair. She knew that she wouldn't be able to get him out of the hospital no matter if she used physicality or not. His willpower alone was fighting for him and that was a hard thing to go against for Jo. Mainly when it came to Henry but she couldn't explain why. 

"Fine," she conceded. She leaned forward and tossed her now-empty coffee cup into the trash, landing a three-point basket.

When she got up, Henry looked at her in confusion. "Where are you going?" he asked. 

"To ask for a cot," she answered, wondering how that wasn't completely obvious. "You didn't think I'd let you try and sleep in that chair did you?" He turned his gaze downwards and Jo rolled her eyes again. "Just try not to commit any felonies while I'm gone. Okay?" 

He gave a small smirk. "I cannot promise that," he says in his Henry way. 

Jo smiles in spite of not wanting to and leaves before she can witness him doing something he shouldn't be. The nurses at the desk seemed busy so Jo waited until they noticed her. To her surprise it was Abe's doctor, Doctor Vogel, who came up to her. 

"Do you need something, Detective?" she asked as she placed a clipboard onto the counter. 

"Yeah, I was wondering if we could get a cot in Abe's room?" she asked, pointing at the doorway behind her. She felt a bit weird about asking the doctor since she knew she was busy but her desire to take care of her partner and friend overrode her discomfort. 

"Finally talked Henry into getting some rest?" Vogel teased with a smile that brightened her honey-brown eyes. She brushed her blond hair behind her hear and turned around. "Anne, can you have Larry bring a cot to Abe's room?" 

The woman, Anne, nodded and smiled and picked up the phone to do just that. It was a little surprising that they were able to do that but Jo was thankful they could. She supposed it wasn't all too odd since they had to have people wanting to sleep in rooms all the time. But then there was usually a spare bed in the room or a pull-out already established among the furniture in the room. 

"It was surprisingly easy," Jo answered once Vogel and turned back to face her. The two women shared a knowing smile. Jo's brows furrowed. "How well do you know Henry?" she asked. She wasn't jealous or anything but she was curious as to how comfortable this woman seemed to be with him. 

"Not well, per se," Vogel answered somewhat vaguely "As I said I was his doctor when he came in with the GSW. I got to know him and Abe pretty well then and from there we've talked about various medical topics and shared a dinner." At Jo's confused look she smiled, "Abe invited me, unbeknownst to Henry, I believe." She chuckled a little. "Going by his dumbfounded expression and the glare he gave Abe shortly after finding out." 

Jo nodded, smiling a little as she did so. She still had questions but she didn't want it to seem like she was interrogating the doctor so she let the matter drop. She'd just ask Henry instead. 

"Well, I'm gonna go back in there," she said, once again pointing behind her. "Thanks for the cot. It wouldn't be good for him to sleep in the chair." 

Vogel winced. "No, it would not. His side wouldn't thank him for it." 

"Right?" Jo said, almost having forgotten that Henry had injured his side as well as his leg. 

Vogel's pager went off and she picked it up and read it. "Gotta go," she said. "Tell Henry I'll look in on him and Abe later." 

"Will do," Jo assured.

She watched as the doctor left, wondering what precisely the relationship between Henry and Vogel was. With a sigh she went back into the room, silently adding it to the list of things she planned to talk to Henry again. 

TBC


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry and Sarah reflect on their pasts as they deal with the present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your comments and kudos! I'm glad that so many of you are enjoying this story. :) 
> 
> Well.. This chapter certainly ran away from me. Or rather, my OC ran away with it and I just kind of went along for the ride, lol. I hope you enjoy it, though, and her. I'm thinking she might be a permanent fixture for this story. 
> 
> Any and all mistakes are my own (as I'm sure you can tell by the previous chapter, lol).

He's running. He's running as fast as he possibly can, desperate to get to Abe. He doesn't know where he's going or how long it's going to take him to get there. All Henry knows is that he has to get to his son before Adam does. Henry stumbles,landing painfully on his knees in the middle of a forest as he does so. Although he could have sworn that he had just been in the city, he doesn't question the scenic change. He merely gets up and continues to run. 

"You're too late," a voice says and then suddenly Henry is staring down at Abe's body, his blue eyes staring up at Henry without recognition. 

"No!" Henry cries, falling onto the ground and cradling his son in his arms. Tears spilled out of his eyes, taking his soul with them as they fall upon Abe's forehead before eventually dropping to the ground. When there is no move from Abe to wipe them off, his arms tighten around Abe and he cries harder. Henry is no stranger to loss but this, this was something else entirely. This was utter desolation. This was having your heart and soul ripped out of you while you were still breathing and not knowing who you are without them. 

A hand rests on his shoulder and Henry starts, looking up into the faceless form of his tormentor and Abe's killer. His eyes grow cold and angry as his mind goes through the many ways he's died and begins to contemplate which one he would choose for this man. He knows that Adam wouldn't stay dead, much like he never did, but he was seriously considering murdering him out of pure spite and revenge. 

"Come now Henry," Adam's voice pouts, no doubt sensing what Henry was thinking. His hand squeezes Henry's shoulder before the sensation seems to fade altogether. "We both know that it wasn't me who killed Abe." 

Those words send a chill down Henry's spine and he looks up, searching for his tormentor. When Adam is suddenly nowhere to be found he looks down at his now-empty hands and sees nothing but red. His stomach drops, threatening to empty at the sight. Blood soaks them, dripping off his fingers as though it were nothing more than water. And beneath them, lying on the cold, hard, New York ground is Abe, blood soaking through his shirt. 

oOo

Henry woke with a start, sitting up quickly and taking what felt like his first breath in hours. His heart was pounding so hard it actually made his chest hurt. The pain searing through his side distracted him away from the nightmare he'd just experienced and Henry clenched his teeth against it, instinctively wrapping his arm around the injured side in foolish hopes of getting it to stop hurting. 

"It's alright," a gentle voice coos as one feminine hand grips his arm and the other lays itself on his thigh. Henry flinches at the familiarity in the contact and the hand on his leg withdraws, moving to his other arm instead. A minute or so passes before the voice speaks again. "Henry, you're going to have to breathe again at some point." 

Brown eyes suddenly focus on the person in front of him and Henry releases the breath he's only realized that he's been holding and offers a smile to the woman in front of him. Sarah smiles back, letting go of him so that she can go and sit in the chair she'd placed beside the bed they'd brought in. Her lab coat, he notices, is lying over the back of the chair closest to Abe's bedside and what appeared to be a bag with her things sat on the floor beside the chair. Apparently she'd gotten off duty and had been watching over Abe while Henry had slept. 

"Better?" she asked him after he'd returned to a more regular breathing pattern. She looked concerned but Henry also knew that she would only show that to a point. He suspected that that was more out of his desire to remain private rather than her own but he wasn't positive. 

While they were considered by one another to be friends, they were not close yet. Much like he and Jo were, actually. But since Sarah was more open with her emotions, it had been easier for Henry to get to know her, and to grow to like her, as well as for her to become closer with Abe without Henry's knowledge or consent. Abe, Henry was perfectly aware, positively adored her and had tried on multiple occasions to 'get them together', as it were. But though she didn't seem to mind being thrown into one-on-ones with Henry, he had, at first, taken to resenting the pushing. Evidently she could sense this, even though he had done his best to be polite and not let it show, and so she had been careful to not only dissuade Abe from doing so anymore but to also check with Henry whenever she was invited - by Abe- over for dinner.

Now that he thought of it, Henry was oddly touched by how she tried to take his feelings and desires into account. Not only in the past but in the present. There was no logical reason for her to still be in the hospital, watching over Abe if not for Henry's benefit. It was..endearing and it warmed Henry's heart ever so slightly. 

"Yes, thank you," he said even though the pain hadn't fully receded yet. He blushed a little in embarrassment but didn't bother apologizing to her. She'd seen worse things during her time as a medical professional, of that he had no doubt. Not to mention she'd witnessed him having a nightmare during his brief stay in hospital when he'd been shot. Logically, he didn't truly have a reason to feel discomforted. But then again, pride rarely deferred to logic and so here he was. "How long have you been here?" he asked, shifting so that he was sitting upright with his legs over the side of the bed and his socked feet on the floor. 

"A little over two hours," she answered with an implied shrug. After scrutinizing him a bit longer, probably to make sure that he was truly alright, she got up and went back over to the chair by the bed. She grabbed her things and moved them to the other side, the one with the hard chair, and then sat down, seeming to settle in as much as she could. "According to Jo you'd been fast asleep for a few hours by the time I'd arrived, so it seems you've gotten a good five hours of sleep today. Which is good since I happen to know that before that you'd barely slept at all." 

The lecture Henry heard in her voice made him chuckle. He, too, went over to the bed. An after performing a quick, cursory, exam to make sure that Abe was improving and comfortable, he sat down , placing his hands in his lap and preparing to get comfortable while he was there. 

"You need to take better care of yourself," Sarah said, continuing with her lecture. While Jo always implied these things, Sarah was the type to say them out loud. Having once been a mother, she had no reservations about treating a grown man like a child if she believed it to be necessary. "Abe will need you to," she added, looking into his eyes to make sure he was listening and not just brushing her off. 

"I know," Henry reminded her with resignation in his voice. 

Coming from others it might have sounded as though she were trying to guilt him into taking care of himself but the truth was that it was merely a point of fact. They both knew that Abe would be weak and would need more care than usual once he was released from the hospital. And since there was no other that could help, that task would fall - gladly - to Henry. Being ill or overtired would do neither Abe nor himself any good. "I'm working on it." 

Her eyebrows rose in a silent challenge. "You need more work then," she quipped dryly, sitting back in her seat and lounging. She pulled a book out of her bag, a scar on the underside of her arm briefly flashing in the fading afternoon light, and proceeded to attempt reading it. 

Henry cocked his head and smiled, momentarily ignoring what he'd seen. Until now, he'd only really ever seen her in long sleeved shirts. A part of him was always curious as to why since it hadn't been all that cold whenever he had seen her. But since she'd respected his privacy, he had respected hers. Besides, he'd already taken guesses and from what he'd just noticed, he hadn't been that far off the mark. 

"Is that your medical opinion?" he jokingly asked while doing his best not to smile too broadly or smirk. 

Again she raised an eyebrow at him, her book closing in her lap. But it seemed she could not hold her stern expression any longer. A smile curved at her lips and soon she was laughing, the sound deep and throaty. "Oh shut up," she said in typical American fashion. If she'd had anything other than a heavy book in her hands she probably would have thrown it at him as well. Henry joined in on the laughing, taking care not to breathe too deeply so as not to aggravate his injured side. 

In the bed, Abe fidgeted and lightly stirred. Figuring their laughter had woken him, Sarah offered a silent apology and went back to her book. Henry smiled, grateful for the appearance of privacy. Abe turned his head towards Henry's side, his brows furrowing a little. "Dad," he said, his voice little more than a whisper. Henry looked over at Sarah to gauge whether or not she heard that. Judging from her ill-concealed eyebrow raise, she had but she kept silent.

Wondering how he was going to explain that away, Henry stood and sat down on the bed beside Abe's hip. "I'm here," he said, grabbing his son's hand. "How are you feeling?" 

Abe drew in a strained breath and his brows furrowed again. "Better," he answered, obviously lying through his teeth. He opened his eyes and looked up at Henry, observing God only knows what in Henry's expression. 

"Nice try," Henry called out, knowing that Abe simply wanted to get out of the hospital sooner. "Now how do you really feel?" 

"If you can get the elephant off my chest, I can tell you," Abe wheezed, wincing a little. 

Henry sighed and stiffly got up to prepare a breathing treatment. It was long past time for one, actually, but since Abe had been sleeping somewhat soundly Henry had decided that it could wait until his son had woken up. He stopped moving when he felt Sarah's hand on his shoulder and looked around at her. She handed over the contraption with a smile and then went back to her chair and began reading again. 

After raising the bed so that it was easier on Abe, Henry handed the nebulizer over to his son and waited for him to begin breathing on it. It was then that Henry sat back down in his own chair, shifting a little to get more comfortable. Abe's brows furrowed again and Henry cocked his head to the side, moving as though to stand back up. Abe waved a hand to show that he was fine and Henry felt himself relax a bit. 

"You okay?" Abe asked after taking a deep draw of the medication. It was obvious that staying awake was costing Abe any energy he may have gained and it hurt slightly for Henry to see. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said with a warm smile and a slight chuckle. "Finish your treatment and then you can go back to sleep." 

"I'm tired of sleeping," Abe, essentially, whined. His childish self generally came out when he felt horrible. It was kind of adorable, actually, but Henry wouldn't admit that out loud to his son. At this time in his life, Abe would be mortified. Oddly enough made it a bit tempting for Henry to disclose, actually. Abe's eyes closed briefly and then, with what looked like a lot of effort, he opened them again. "Besides, somebody's gotta take care of you." 

"That's what I'm here for," Sarah interjected. With her book officially back in her bag, she got out of the chair and came to sit on the bed where Henry had recently vacated. She grabbed Abe's hand and gave him a very bright smile. Henry watched as Abe smiled almost dumbly back at her, settling into the bed as though he was more than happy to go back to sleep now. "Don't worry," she said in a faked conspiratorial whisper, "I'll watch over him while he watches over you." 

"Good," Abe said with a sigh. 

Sarah took the nebulizer from Abe's somewhat limp hands and placed it on the bedside table. She trailed a hand from his forehead down to his cheek, effectively brushing the hair off his face. Eventually, she moved her hand from his face to comb through his hair and then would go back. It was a very motherly thing to do and Henry found himself momentarily wishing that Abigail was here to do that for Abe and not Sarah. It was a silly thing, honestly, but there it was. 

"Get some rest, Abe. It'll do you more good than worrying about Henry," Sarah whispered, her voice now gentle.

Henry's head cocked slightly to the side so that he could observe her expression better and he did his best to hide an eyebrow raise of his own when he noticed something akin to love on her face. Not the kind of love a mother would have for her son, of course. Even though that was how she seemed to be treating Abe, Henry knew she was merely doing that for Abe's benefit. No, this look seemed to be how a daughter would feel towards her father or grandfather. Odd. 

"Somebody's got to," Abe mumbled sleepily before his eyes closed and remained that way. For all his talk about not wanting to sleep more, Henry noted that he hadn't been able to stay awake for very long and he smiled with the knowledge. He'd have to bring that up when Abe was more aware and feeling better. 

Sarah waited until Abe was fully asleep before she got up and then she pushed the rolling bedside table to the corner of the room so that it wasn't in the way. When finished, she turned around and leaned back against the bed, half sitting on it, and crossed her arms over her chest, scrutinizing Henry. "How are you doing?" she asked after a bit. 

Henry remained quiet, trying to decide how to answer her. His first instinct was to lie. But suddenly the effort to do so felt draining and Henry wasn't sure he had the energy to do it at the moment. 

In front of him, Sarah smiled. "Why don't you go get a bit more sleep?" she suggested, nodding her head towards the abandoned bed. "I promise to wake you if anything changes." 

Henry looked over at Abe and felt himself hesitate. Eventually his rational mind kicked in and he realized that he there wasn't much he could do other than let Abe rest and perhaps get more himself. With a sigh, Henry stood.

"Good," Sarah said, sounding very pleased. Henry heard her follow behind him as he made his way back to the bed and then sat down on it. Without a care for the lecture he was sure to receive, he leaned over to remove the brace, only to stop with clenched teeth when his side reminded him not to do that yet. 

"Tired of wearing the brace already?" Sarah asked as she sat down in the chair in front of him. Her voice was thicker than usual, making Henry look up to gauge whether she was teasing him or not. After seeing the smirk on her face, he concluded that she was and smirked in return. 

"You wouldn't believe how hard it is to sleep with it on," he answered, sounding almost abashed at being caught. 

"Actually, I would," she said, reminding him that she did have experience with a knee brace. He looked down at the floor, ashamed that he'd forgotten so crucial a detail for her and saddened that he'd brought it up.

When they'd first begun talking, they'd both been careful not to release too much personal information. But eventually, over a glass of wine for him and some root beer for her, they'd delved a little into their pasts. For the most part she hadn't really told him anything that he hadn't already guessed. It was probably why she had begun with those parts, actually. Since he had already stated them as fact - similar to the way he'd done with Jo when she'd first entered the morgue - they were easier for her to say. But then she'd gone into detail, explaining about the car crash that had killed not only her husband but her two boys as well. The accident - a drunk driver - had left her quite badly injured. It was then that she'd decided to go into the medial profession, she'd said, doing her best to hide how much telling the story had cost her.

After a few minute's silence to allow her to gather herself, Henry had told her about Abigail. In vague terms to be sure but she'd easily been able to see how much he still grieved her loss and she'd easily empathized with him. Tears, fresh from her own story, had spilled down her cheeks as he'd talked. She had wiped them away as quickly as she had been able to, but they had fallen nonetheless. And though Henry hadn't been able to tell whether they were from her own pain or from what she sensed from him, he'd felt, just as he had with Jo, that he wasn't alone in his grief. 

That was the bond they had formed. The entire situation had been so similar to the way he and Jo had met that Henry had had several bouts of deja vu during their conversations. But then he'd discovered the ways in which Jo and Sarah were different and he'd eventually stopped comparing them altogether. For some reason he found it slightly easier to open up to Sarah than he did Jo. It was through no fault of Jo's, of course, but it was the truth. 

Henry was brought back to the present by the sound of velcro being undone and he looked down to see that Sarah was gently taking the brace off his leg for him. She laid it down on the floor, out of the way should anyone need to get around, and then sat back on her heels, eventually sitting back in the chair. She smiled at him, the light that was normally present in her eyes dimmed by haunting memories. 

"Get some rest, Henry," she said a little more distantly than she normally would have. 

Without another word, she got up and went back to the hard chair by Abe's bedside. Once again, she pulled her book out of her bag and began to read it, settling in for a night of watching over the both of them. 

Henry smiled, appreciating more than he could say that she was willing to watch over Abe while they both slept. He knew he could rest easy knowing that someone with medical training was keeping guard over Abe. If only he could find the same peace in his dreams. 

oOo

Sarah smiled when she heard Henry's breathing even out and deepen. She was glad to see that he was going to try and take better care of himself and not fight her and Jo quite so much. Not only would it save her and Jo the future headaches but it would save him pain. 

From an early point in their meeting, there had been something about Doctor Henry Morgan that had drawn Sarah to him. It could have been his accent, or how politely he had treated her even though he had been in a fair amount of pain from his wound. Or it could have been the gentle way he had smiled whenever his friend, Abe, had come by. It could very well have been the love she'd seen coming from him whenever the two men were together. Or it simply could have been something else entirely. Whatever it had been, Sarah had been sold on him. 

She'd been a little saddened when he'd left the hospital. Of course she was glad that he was healthy enough to leave but she'd had this feeling that it was going to be the last time she would ever see him again and that thought had made it hard for her to see him go. 

But then she had run into Abe when he'd come to the hospital for a check-up and after having caught up with one another, the older man had invited her to a dinner at the antiques shop that he owned. When he'd made it a point to mention that Henry would be there, Sarah had declined, claiming that she didn't want to intrude. But as Abe wouldn't hear of it, she had eventually given in and agreed to come. 

Over the next several months she had slowly begun to spend more time with them. Sometimes Henry was there, sometimes he wasn't. Sarah was fine with either scenario as she'd begun to enjoy Abe's company as much as she did Henry's. She liked listening to Abe's stories from the past and she liked learning about the different antiques which could be found around the shop. In fact, it took her far less time to get close to Abe than it had Henry. From what she'd been able to tell, Abe enjoyed her company as much as she did his and before long, Sarah found herself caring about Abe as though he were a part of her family (though she doubted the feeling was returned). 

Then one July night, she and Henry began to open up about their pasts. It had been harder than she would have thought to talk about her husband and kids to him and she'd damn near cried so many times that she'd wondered why she'd even tried not to. She had believed that she had gotten her tears in check when Henry had begun talking about Abigail and the sheer amount of love that he obviously still felt for her combined the pain she saw in his eyes and expression had been so close to what she felt that the tears had simply fallen without her permission. She had brushed them away as quickly as possible, not wanting to embarrass him but she'd seen the pitying expression on his face and she had hated herself for putting it there. 

Pity wasn't something that Sarah wanted from anyone. Kindness and caring, yes. Even acceptance. But never pity. 

When she'd heard that Abe was in the cardiac unit, Sarah had felt her heart stop. She'd traded many favors in order to be assigned as his doctor. She knew that William, that is Doctor Kisic, her attending, had been hesitant but then he'd made her a deal. Go to dinner with him and he'd allow it. He'd been trying to get her to go out with him for months so his compromise hadn't come as a shock. Even though she despised the arrogant and sleazy man, Sarah had agreed without a second thought. If it meant being able to see that Abe gets the best care she can find as well as to check up on Henry, she would sleep with him. Of course, neither Henry nor Abe needed to know that. God, she didn't even want to try and imagine what they'd think if they did. 

To her right, Henry shifted in the cot, whimpering a little. It had been like this before he'd woken up and she hoped that that didn't happen again. He needed the sleep. Not to be plagued by whatever torments awaited for him in his dreams. 

She quietly closed her book and placed it in the seat she had just vacated and then went to go see if she could soothe him back to sleep. Hoping against hope that he wouldn't either wake up or remember this, she sat down in the small space by his right hip and did the same thing that she'd done to get Abe back to sleep. 

"Sh, Henry, it's alright," she cooed in a near nonexistent whisper as she lightly trailed her fingers down the side of Henry's face. His tortured expression softened and he seemed to quiet a little but as he still appeared restless, she continued with her ministrations. As though of their own accord, her fingers found their way into his thick and somewhat curly hair. They brushed through it in slow and controlled motions, reminding her of how she used to get her youngest son, Harrison, to sleep when he'd fought it. Much like it had done with little Harry, Henry calmed and he released a comforted sigh before settling again. 

Sarah waited a little longer, wanting to make sure that Henry was truly asleep again, before she went back to her chair. She stopped short when she noticed a pair of blue eyes watching her from the hospital bed. When had Abe woken up? 

"Hey," she greeted with an embarrassed smile. Moving the book, she sat down and then grabbed Abe's hand. "How are you feeling?" 

"A bit better," he answered, sounding only slightly wheezy. His bushy eyebrows furrowed as he asked, "Did you used to do that for your sons?" At Sarah's look of blatant surprise (she had yet to share her past regarding her family with him), he offered her a small look of apology. "I may have listened in while you two talked."

"Of course you did," Sarah answered with a small eye roll. It made sense now that she thought about it.

Not long after becoming a regular around their household, Sarah had discovered how protective the two men were of one another. She'd seen hints of it whilst Henry had been recovering from the GSW, and shortly after when Abe had come down with a bad cold. But it had come more so into HD clarity when Henry had come home one day, moving very stiffly. 

After a lot of pushing and prodding, almost literally, from Abe, Henry had admitted to having been in a slight 'motor vehicle accident'. It hadn't been anything too serious and he had assured them that both he and Jo were alright. But, he'd added after attempting to stare down a glare from Abe and failing miserably, he was a bit sore. Of course, 'sore' wouldn't have been what Sarah would have used to describe how Henry had probably felt. Bruised had been more like it. Evidently the car had been hit on Henry's side which had left him with a rather vivid contusion on his right side and across his chest where the seatbelt had tightened on him. It was then that she'd had the pleasure of watching Abe mother-hen his stubborn friend, going so far as to call the ME's office and call him in sick for the rest of the week, based off Sarah's diagnosis, of course. Needless to say, the favor was now being returned in the form of Henry's ever-constant presence and care. 

Knowing that, the fact that Abe had listened in on a private and potentially personal conversation shouldn't have surprised her. He had wanted to make sure that he had been right in bringing her into their lives and making sure that she didn't want more from Henry than he was able to give was one way to do it. 

Sarah sighed, doing her best to remain stern-looking. Normally she didn't take pleasure in making a sick man squirm but she sort of believed that this one had it coming. But when he looked back at her, refusing to back down, she gave up knowing full well that when it came to the battle of wills and her - Abe (or Henry) would win every time. She smiled, chuckling a little. 

"Yes, I did," she said, finally answering his question. "My youngest." She paused when her voice seemed to die and her eyes filled with tears. Clearing her throat to in hopes of drying her eyes, she started again. "My youngest was a cuddler. And like most kids he would refuse to sleep in spite of being exhausted; even as a baby." She smiled at the memories, wiping away a tear when she felt it fall. "So I got into the habit of running my fingers through his hair. It was one of the quickest ways to get him to calm down enough to fall asleep." 

"Mh," he answered, shifting a little. 

Since he seemed uncomfortable, Sarah got up to help, glad for any and all distraction from her current thoughts and memories. She raised the top half of the bed so that he was slightly more upright. The position would make breathing a bit easier for him, though, unfortunately, not painless. 

"Thank you for that," he said. When she looked at him questioningly, he clarified. "It helped me sleep." 

Sarah sighed. So he hadn't seen her do that to Henry. Thank God! She didn't know if she would live down the embarrassment. 

She smiled at him, giving his hand a small squeeze. "Anytime," she said, meaning it. "But you should try to get some more rest. Your body will need it if you want to get out of here any time soon." 

"Twist my arm, why don't ya?" he joked, closing his eyes a bit in the process. He opened them again, their attention solely on the younger man in the bed across the room. 

"Don't worry," she said, hoping to ease the worry she sees in his face. "Henry's sleeping peacefully too." 

"Mm," Abe somewhat sleepily agreed. He seemed to nod off entirely and so Sarah released his hand and sat back in her chair. She jumped slightly when he said, "Thanks to you," and then finally gave in to his body's needs. 

TBC


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abe slowly gets better and Abe and Henry have a chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for any and all mistakes. I have proofread the chapter but one is always prone to missing something. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

When Henry next awoke, the sun was shining quite brightly through the shaded windows. The blinds did little to hide its rays but he appreciated the attempt all the same. The room was quiet. Well, as quiet as a hospital can get with the ever-present beeping of the heart monitor and the bustle of the staff outside the doors. For a moment Henry simply lay there, listening to the sounds of Abe breathing in and out. It sounded as though the wheezing had lessened a little bit but it was still quite noticeable. Still, judging from the pattern of his son's breathing, Henry would surmise that he was asleep which meant that he was comfortable and not in pain. 

The minutes ticked by for Henry didn't know how long. He laid there, listening to the sounds of time passing from his pocket watch which miraculously lay on a table near the bed. Evidently someone had removed it and had placed it there. Just as well, he didn't want to break it by having it fall while he had slept. 

After taking time to let his eyes adjust to the bright day Henry began to stir, fully waking up. He was careful when stretching, taking care to be mindful of his sore body as he did so. He lowered his legs over the side of the bed as he slowly sat up. Save for himself and Abe, there was no one else inside the room. Evidently Sarah had finally left - although whether it was to go home or go back to work, he didn't know. He hoped that she'd gone home but he was also more than aware of how hectic and sporadic working at a hospital could be. 

Henry reapplied the brace and slipped his shoes back on while silently wondering when they had come off in the first place. He made sure to breathe steadily and move slowly as he did so since bending over still wasn't pleasant. He did notice that it was a slightly easier to do it now compared to yesterday, however, and he was grateful for the change and hopeful that he could look forward to being mostly okay by the time Abe was released. 

The heart monitor beeped, alerting Henry to the fact that Abe was waking up. He slowly made his way over to the bed and then sat down on the edge of it by Abe's hip so that he could see his son better. Although the chair was appreciated and helpful when Abe was sleeping, when he was awake it made things rather difficult. As Henry didn't want to overtire Abe in any way, making him strain to see Henry was out of the question. 

"So you're awake," his son said by way of greeting. Tired, blue eyes opened and struggled for a moment to stay that way. They blinked a couple of times before Abe was finally able to keep them open, even managing to look alert to a point. He smiled up at Henry. Why he did so, Henry didn't know. All that he knew was that he was happy to see it. "Did you get some rest?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did," Henry answered, still surprised that he had slept as much as he had. Clearly his body had needed it. "How about you?"

In the bed, Abe shrugged. For a moment Henry thought he was about to say something but then his breath caught in his chest and he began coughing instead. 

Hearing the rattle in his son's lungs made Henry's burn in sympathy. He'd had pneumonia a long time ago. Back when it wasn't as easy to cure. And he remembered every bit of it. The inability to catch one's breath. The constant fatigue and overall exhaustion. Not to mention the painful coughs which tore at your throat and only made the pain in your chest worse. Overall it was a rather unpleasant illness and he had been rather thankful when his body had finally given in and he'd died from it. 

Sadly and thankfully, no relief was going to be felt for Abe. On the one hand, Henry was grateful for this. He wasn't ready to try and live without his son just yet. But on the other, he felt selfish, knowing the peace it could potentially bring a person. 

"Hey," Abe's voice broke through, bringing Henry back to the present. "You okay?" 

Henry smiled. As always he appreciated Abe's ability to express concern for someone else when he, himself was suffering. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Henry answered, his smile conveying what he had just been thinking. 

Abe shrugged. "I'm sure you can tell how I'm feeling just from looking at the monitors or taking my vitals."

"That doesn't mean that I don't want to hear it coming from you," Henry said while making sure to keep his tone soft and earnest. 

It was true that he could essentially read all the signs and know how Abe was feeling. But there was something in having someone tell you that always seemed more personable. It allowed the patient to express their pain and their feelings without thinking themselves a burden, while also letting them think that you, their doctor, cared about them enough to listen. 

Many people believed that society's inability to listen to another's suffering or care about it was a recent development. Henry wasn't one of them. In his 200 or so years of life he had found that it was actually most common for humans to care about themselves more so than someone else. Sure, they had gotten better at expressing their concerns as time moved on and customs relaxed but the simple truth of the matter was that humanity in and of itself was selfish and Henry had no hope of seeing that change no matter how long he lived. 

So, he did his best to be the exception. Granted it hadn't gotten him very far at times but that was one instance where being immortal was a gift rather than a curse. It gave him ample time to show others how they could and should behave. Whether any of them followed his example or, indeed, if they even got the point was another matter entirely. 

"I feel better," Abe answered on a sigh. His eyes briefly closed and then they opened again, almost as though he were once again fighting sleep. "Now if I could stay awake longer than two minutes at a time, I'd be fantastic." 

Henry chuckled a little, appreciating his son's quandary. "Yes, well, since I'm sure Sarah has already lectured you on your need for sleep, I won't say it again," he said, wanting nothing more than to repeat the doctor's words. 

His corresponding glare must have been lecture enough because not more than thirty seconds later, Abe was rolling his eyes. 

"You doctors, you're all the same," he groused, albeit halfheartedly. 

Henry chuckled in response but said nothing in favor of letting Abe fall back asleep if he wanted to. He gave an expressive eyebrow raise when his son continued to fight his exhaustion and stayed awake. 

"What?" Abe innocently asked. "I thought you weren't going to say anything." 

"I haven't," Henry answered, figuring two could play the innocent game. 

"Not in so many words, no," Abe argued back, eyeing his father skeptically. He weakly raised his arm as high as he could so that he was able to point a slightly shaking finger at Henry's face. "But it was all right there." 

"I can't help what my face tells you, Abe," Henry said with another, small, chuckle. "And besides, we both know that you need the rest." 

"And there it is. I knew you couldn't hold out for too long." The words were spoken with as much fervor as a child sleepily arguing against having to take a nap but Henry knew that was in all probability due to Abe's lack of strength and not lack of meaning. "As I said, you doctors are all the same. Can't resist your lecturing." 

"Well, if you would simply do as you're told, we wouldn't have to resort to such standard tactics," Sarah's voice said just as Henry was about to.

Henry jumped a little, surprised to find her in the room. He hadn't heard her come in at all. He hadn't even expected her to be on hospital grounds, come to think of it. She smiled at him when she noticed his reaction and then stepped up to the vacant side of the bed so that she could see the monitors better. She then went on to take Abe's vitals herself, no doubt double checking her findings with what the machine was telling her, before stepping back as though to give them both some space. 

"Well," she said with a sigh. She pulled out a notebook that Henry had never seen her use and made little notes in it. "Everything is looking as well as can be expected," she pronounced as she finished writing. She tucked the notebook back into her coat pocket and then slid both hands in as well, looking relaxed and not at all as though she'd been up all night watching over the both of them. "Think you can try eating some broth for lunch?" 

"Lunch - what time is it?" Henry asked, somewhat alarmed by the apparent lateness of the hour. He fidgeted to pull his watch out of his pocket to check the time. 

"It's almost eleven am," Sarah answered with a smile in her voice. After confirming what she said to be true, Henry looked over to see her smiling so warmly at him that her eyes seemed to be full of smooth honey rather than the cold amber he usually saw. "I skipped out of here shortly before 9 to go home and take a shower before my shift. I left word with Laura that if there was any change in Abe's status to wake you immediately." She eyed his disheveled expression with a raised eyebrow, her expression bordering on humorous. "Apparently all has been well otherwise you would have been up long ago." 

"Yes, well, thank you for letting me sleep," Henry mumbled, embarrassed to find that he had slept for so long. When he'd woken, Henry had had the notion that it was late in the day, but he'd thought that it was more like eight o'clock; possibly nine. Not nearer noon. 

"My pleasure," she said, still smiling. She returned her attention to Abe, who seemed to be enjoying the conversation from a hazy standpoint. His eyes kept fluttering closed, only to open again after a minute or two and though he tried to look alert, it was obvious to both doctors in the room that he was fading fast. "So what do you say, Abe?" His eyes snapped open and Sarah repeated her question. "Think you can handle a bit of broth for lunch?" 

"Hm? Yeah," he answered almost absently, as though he were agreeing without really listening to the conversation. "Yeah, I'm good." 

Henry and Sarah shared a knowing look, complete with matching smiles. 

"I'll have them bring him some for dinner. Until then, we'll let him sleep," she said, addressing only Henry this time as it seemed that Abe had finally conceded the fight and had fallen asleep. "Do you need anything before I go?" she offered, re-fixing her hair into a tight, but not neat, bun. With her hair that way, it struck Henry how alike she was to Abigail. And yet so different as well. "I could have them bring you something for lunch, if you want. I'm sure you're hungry." 

"No, thank you," Henry declined with a vacant smile. He slightly shook his head to clear the memories which threatened to invade and did his best to focus on the here and now. Abigail was gone. And though he still loved her and still mourned for her, it wouldn't do him any good to continue living in the past. He'd done too much of that lately and look where it had gotten him. No where sans the safety in knowing that he wouldn't be hurt by another death until Abraham and then never again after. "Hospital food has never been that appetizing to me." 

Sarah made a face of agreement. "I hear ya there," she said. "But sometimes, it's better than nothing." 

Henry wasn't necessarily one to agree with that and so he said nothing. And besides, there was something in the way she had said it that made him think there was more behind the statement than a simple observation and he didn't wish to offend her in case he was right. 

"Well," she said, looking as though she had just decided something she wasn't very happy about. "Call me or have one of the nurses call me if you need anything or if something changes." 

"I will," Henry assured. "Thank you." 

She smiled and nodded her assent and then left. 

Henry shifted from the bed, down to the chair and got comfortable. Images of the past still swirled in his memory like a painting that had gotten wet. They blurred together until he could no longer differentiate one from the other. It seemed as though his mind was content to mix his picture of Abigail with his picture of Sarah. The notion was ridiculous, of course, since he didn't feel any of the romantic attraction he had felt for Abigail towards Sarah. But, he allowed, he did feel something for her. 

The only question that remained - was what? 

oOo

When Abe next resurfaced, he noticed that he felt marginally better. He no longer felt like he was freezing and heating a third world country all at once and although he ached, it had lessened as well. The only thing that really bothered him now was his chest and he since he didn't know if that was likely to stop soon, he didn't let it bother him. He shifted in the bed, thoroughly uncomfortable in it, and slowly opened his eyes.

The room was dark. It was lit with artificial lighting, of course, but otherwise shadows encased the corners, slowly spreading their tendrils the more one stared at them. At first glance, the room appeared to be empty and Abe released a small sigh of relief at the thought, knowing Henry needed to go home and get some proper rest. But then he looked over to his left and saw his father dozing lightly in the chair beside his bed. He looked awkward, to say the least, with his back fully against the back of the chair and his neck bent, his head resting to the side. One leg was bent, tucked under the chair almost, while the other was stretched out. 

Abe smiled lovingly at the man who had raised him and loved him. Although he'd never admit it, he was glad that Henry was here. There were certain times when a person just needed their dad and this had been one of them. The first thought that had come to him when he'd felt the pain in his chest and known that it wasn't something normal was about Henry. Abe had wished that his father had been there with him, if for no other reason than to calm him down and tell him that everything would be alright. 

But Henry hadn't been there and Abe had felt alone for the first time in a long time. It hadn't been Henry's fault, of course. Abe knew that. It hadn't been as though Henry had purposely been gone; he'd simply just been at work. Even so, it hadn't stopped Abe from feeling a bit of disappointment. 

Then the fever had hit and everything had seemed to become a blur of one face or another. Abe still wasn't sure what it was that he had had but it had left him feeling like a six year old rather than a mid-sixty year old. The only thing he could really remember was his father's voice comforting him. How long Abe had been in the hospital, he didn't know as he'd officially lost all track of time during his illness. But the one thing he did know was that Henry had been here all the while. 

A sudden need to cough gripped his lungs and Abe did his best to stifle it, knowing that it would wake Henry. Unfortunately that only made the need that much stronger and before long Abe was engulfed in a coughing fit which left him wheezing harder than when he'd begun. 

"Abe?" Henry's voice murmured as the man himself slowly attempted to wake up. He stirred and shifted with a wince, no doubt feeling the crick in his neck from his sleeping position, and then scooted forward as though to get out of the chair. 

Even though Abe remembered something about Henry getting some good sleep, he still looked exhausted. His eyes were red, a little puffy, and even in the dark of the room, Abe could tell that Henry had circles under them. It was obvious that he needed more and Abe suddenly felt guilty for disturbing him. 

He held out a hand, stilling his father's movements and assuring him that he was fine. He wasn't but Henry didn't need to know that. 

"Just go back to sleep," he wheezed while doing his best to get his breathing back under control. "I'm fine." 

"No you're not," Henry argued with a frown. Before long he was sitting on the bed, facing Abe, and was beginning to examine him. He was gentle with his touch, no doubt checking for fever. Once he was, evidently, satisfied on that front, he leaned down, using his arms to support him, and listened to Abe's chest. He sat back up quickly with the frown still on his face. "You need another treatment," he announced as he got up to press the call button for the nurse. 

"What, you aren't going to give it to me yourself?" Abe joked, coughing again. 

Henry leveled a look at him which Abe had always construed as his father trying to appear angry but failing miserably. "Normally I would but since they only left the machine and not the medicine, I need to ask for assistance," he said, sounding a bit annoyed. 

Abe chuckled breathlessly. He had no trouble believing that Henry was annoyed but it wasn't at him. Henry Morgan wasn't the type to ask for help. He preferred to do things on his own and generally by himself. He usually got a bit grumpy when he did have to depend on someone else; even more so if he had to ask for that support. 

"Yes?" the on-call nurse asked without the barest hint of a smile. To Abe, she seemed stern and possibly unhappy that she was being forced to work. 

"We need a dose of Albuterol, please," Henry said kindly and professionally, not seeming to be bothered by her apparent coldness. 

"I'll contact the doctor," she said blandly, leaving before Henry had a chance to say anything else. 

Henry stared at the doorway, looking as though he couldn't believe she had just done that. "Well that was a little rude," he complained, looking as though he was pouting a little. 

"She was probably a little miffed that she was being kept awake," Abe dismissed, trying to soothe his father's rumpled feathers. 

"Actually, she's just generally like that," a new voice said.

Abe looked over at the door and smiled when he saw Sarah. She was dressed in street clothes, her hair down and falling about her shoulders. She, too, looked tired but she wore a smile for the both of them. 

"Shouldn't you be at home?" Henry asked, sounding marginally concerned. How long had she been here?

Sarah shrugged as she came in. "Who wants to be at home when I could be here, hanging out with two handsome men?" She looked down at Abe, her smile never fading, and asked, "I see you're feeling better." 

"How can you tell?" he joked, knowing full well how she knew. 

"Because you're actually awake," she replied, giving him the answer he knew she would. She proceeded to do the same exam that Henry had just performed not long ago, although she forwent using her ear in favor of her stethoscope, and then straightened back up. "Sadly, I am on my way out of here," she said with a sigh. "But I thought I'd drop this by on my way out." She pulled out a bottle of what Abe assumed was the Albuterol and handed it to Henry. 

It never ceased to amaze Abe how much Sarah could trust in someone. Or perhaps it was just that she had so much of it for himself and Henry that it appeared she held everyone else in the same regard? No matter which way it was, it was a rare thing to find in today's society. 

"Thank you," Henry said, walking around the bed to set up the nebulizer. Abe frowned when he noticed his father's limp but he said nothing. Yet. 

Henry's hands were swift, his movements self-assured out of decades of practice, as he prepared the breathing treatment, handed the tube to Abe, and then flipped the switch. He stayed standing long enough to make sure that Abe could hold the mouthpiece and then he sat down. 

"No problem," Sarah said, waving off Henry's gratitude. "Gave me a chance to check on my favorite patient before I went home." She placed a hand on Abe's leg. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better," she said with enough sincerity to make Abe believe that she meant it. 

She turned around and leaned down to give a surprised-looking Henry a kiss on the cheek. "Try not to stay up all night looking out for him," Abe heard her whisper before she straightened back up. "Goodnight gentlemen," she bid. "Try to get some rest." She paused and then added, "The both of you." 

Since Abe was busy with the nebulizer, he settled for waving goodbye to her. Henry did the same, albeit awkwardly, and then it was just them again. 

"Is somethin' going on between you two?" Abe asked in between puffs of the medicine. 

"No, why?" Henry answered with furrowed brows.

"No reason," Abe replied with a virtual shrug. He took another long inhale of the medication, relaxing a little when he felt his chest loosen. "You just seem closer than usual." 

A contemplative look came over his father's face and Abe knew he was trying to decide how to take that. If it was a good or bad thing. And how he felt about it either way. 

Abe left him alone and finished off the rest of his treatment. He knew from past experience that it was best to let Henry work through things like this on his own. He'd come to whatever conclusion he wanted and, to him, it would be the right one. 

It took awhile but eventually Henry noticed that he was finished and turned the nebulizer off, taking the tube away and laying it gently on top. It was during this process that Abe noticed his father wince again. And this time he knew it wasn't from sleeping in an odd position. His brows furrowed as he asked, "You okay?" 

At this, Henry looked a little concerned. He seemed to freeze, his expression one of someone who was debating how much he should or shouldn't say. He carefully sat forward, placing his one elbow on his left knee and the other on the arm of the chair, and asked, "How much do you remember of the past five days?"

That took Abe by surprise. 

"I've been here five days?" he asked, not fully able to grasp that concept. It hadn't felt like that long. Then again, at times it had felt like much longer. 

"It doesn't surprise me that you don't know that," his father stated comfortingly. "You have been pretty unaware for quite a while." 

Abe saw the concern in Henry's eyes and he wanted nothing more than to wipe it away. But he didn't know how. What had felt like a raging fever had apparently been something far more serious. And he hadn't even known it. 

"Well, let's see," he said as he got around to answering Henry's question. "I remember the heart attack at the shop. Oh, how is the customer, by the way? I think I might have scared him."

Henry looked at Abe with slightly widened eyes. "We haven't been able to locate any customer," he answered slowly, deliberately. "Jo said that by the time she had arrived, there was no one save you and the EMT's."

"Oh," Abe said, a little confused but easily dismissing it. "He must have left when the EMT's got there." 

"Perhaps," Henry soothed, though he looked doubtful. "What else do you remember?"

"I remember being scared; I remember being scared and wishing you were there," Abe answered without thinking. He inwardly winced at just how that might sound to Henry as well as make him feel. He didn't know why he'd said it either, since it wasn't really relevant to anyone but himself. But he had and the corresponding look of sadness that crept onto Henry's face made him feel guilty. So he moved on. "I remember Jo," he confirmed, hoping he sounded a little brighter. He furrowed his brows when his memory failed him from there. "Then nothing," he said. 

"Do you remember waking up shortly afterwards?" Henry asked, barely masking his own feelings on the subject of the whole ordeal. His eyes looked a little watery and his voice sounded a bit choked and Abe wondered how he was handling all of this; whether he had taken time to process it or not. Henry cleared his throat and seemed blink back the tears which wanted to fall. "Do you remember having a conversation with me?" 

Abe searched his mind. Doing his best to remember. Bits and pieces seemed to come to him but nothing complete. It was as though a fine mist had settled over his brain and made everything seem hazy, almost like it had all been a dream rather than reality. 

Suddenly, Abe felt very tired. He was damned if he was going to give in, though, as this was the first real conversation he'd had with his father in six days. Apparently. He wasn't about to stop. Abe delved deeper into his memories, looking desperately for the time that Henry had mentioned. He remembered being upset about something and he clung to that as hard as he could, willing the rest to come to him. 

"You said that you'd been hit by a car," Abe slowly stated as he began to recall it. He watched in his mind's eye as the scene seemed to play out before him. 

Relief seemed to wash over Henry's face but he said nothing as he waited to see how much more Abe could think of. He did, however, offer a small smile of encouragement which Abe did his best to earn. 

"I still say you're an idiot for waiting so long to get yourself looked after," Abe retorted, now recalling precisely why he'd been so upset with his father. The shnook had spent hours in pain simply so he could stay by Abe's side when Abe wasn't going to go anywhere. 

Henry smiled, lowering his head in an expression of embarrassment. "Yes, well," he defended, licking his lips in the way he was known to do. "After learning that my son had a heart attack, I think I had a right to be a little worried." 

Knowing that he had a fair point, Abe chuckled. "Fair enough," he admitted, saying nothing of the fact that he knew it had been more than a little. He paused for a moment and then asked, "But you're okay now, right?" Henry opened his mouth to answer but Abe pointed a meaningful finger at him and quickly added, "And none of that 'I'm fine' crap. I know you too well for that." 

"Yes, I suppose you do," his father said, still wearing the smile. "I'm alright," he said, going for a variation of what he was told not to say. "I'm healing slowly but I am healing." 

"And the leg?" Abe asked after noticing earlier the way Henry favored it. Since he couldn't quite recall the extent of his father's injuries, he also couldn't remember how badly he'd been hurt and he wanted to know now.

"That will take a bit longer to get better, I'm afraid," Henry answered, his tone aiming for light but coming out dejected nonetheless. "Still, I should be well enough to take care of you once you're released." 

"I wasn't worried about that," Abe defended with a small roll of his eyes. 

"I know," Henry assured. "But nevertheless, it's true." 

There was a pause in which Abe finally realized that his father wasn't simply telling him that he would be around after Abe was released. That he was actually making it a point to reassure Abe that he would be there for him afterwards, and would be there to take care of him during his time of need. Henry's guilt about not having been there before was resurfacing. But rather than dwell on it - outwardly at least, for Abe had no doubt that he was doing so internally - Henry preferred to simply show that he understood and would try not to let that happen again. 

Then Henry inhaled and leaned back into the chair again. "Now, get some rest," he said, looking a bit stern. "I know you've been fighting it." 

Abe wanted to ask how Henry had been able to tell that but he soon decided there was no need. Just as he knew Henry, Henry knew him. He would have been able to read the signs as easily as Abe could read an antique. 

"Fine," Abe grumbled, squirming a little to get more comfortable. 

Henry stood and helped him get better situated, rearranging the pillows afterwards so that they were more fluffed and less lumpy. As though he were merely tucking Abe in for the night,Henry pulled the blanket up to Abe's chin and semi-tucked it in around him so that the heat would stay inside the blanket and not escape through a hole. 

"Just don't stay up brooding most of the night," Abe added when it occurred to him that that was exactly what Henry would most likely do. 

"Brooding about what?" Henry said, feigning ignorance. 

Since there was so many answers Abe could give to that and he knew he didn't have the energy, he simply said, "The past," and left it at that. 

Beside him, his father chuckled. "Good night, Abe," he said, falling quiet immediately after. 

Later Abe would swear that he had answered but he would be wrong. He'd fallen asleep before Henry had even finished speaking. 

TBC


End file.
